Month: January 2014

The week of January 26th has brought some interesting weather to Livingston Manor. Monday the temperature was relatively mild and hung just below freezing in the morning. A few snow showers were present and some were heavy at times. In the afternoon the temperature dropped to the low 20’s signaling a trend that is forecast to continue until late in the week. The temperature dropped to 0 degrees on Tuesday morning with wind chills well below that. The temperature during the day never reached 20 degrees. OnWWednesday morning it was more of the same with a low of -5 degress. The temperature is forest to rise slightly going toward the weekend and may even reach up into the 30’s. Snow is forecast for the weekend but the amount and the timing keep changing. Remember, the weather forecast is only a prediction and always contains percentages. Be prepared and have a plan for the most likely and least likely forecast! Now is the time to put your favorite “ice grippers” in the pack and keep them there! Are you prepared to stay out overnight on a trail? Conditions in the morning can change drastically by afternoon. Conditions at the trailhead do not always reflect the conditions on the peaks! Variable trail and weather conditions are a hallmark of these mountains. BE CAREFUL AND BE PREPARED!

On Monday, January 27th, Cindy and I decided to get out for a hike after many days of brutally low temperatures. I had been at a track meet both Friday and Saturday and was ready to get outside. As often happens, our plans were altered by a morning ambulance call. When I got home, we got dressed and headed to Frick Pond. We arrived in the parking area at about 11:30 AM and decided to hike out to Frick Pond and then see where we might go from there. My time was limited as I had to get to track practice. We both donned our Microclines as our previous experience told us there would be ice. As I put mine on I noticed one of the links was snapped. I was annoyed as I had not used them that much and am very careful when I do. Apparently this is a common problem! This is unfortunate since the retail price of $50 should mean they last longer. As we were hiking it was snowing and blowing and the sky was overcast. I had brought the camera but doubted it would come out of the pack. When we got to the bridge, we simply continued our hike without taking break. At the next trail junction Cindy wanted to stay right around the pond but I wanted a longer experience. We stayed to the left on the Quick Lake Trail and headed for Iron Wheel Junction. We were both keeping up a quick pace but not as quick a Sheila who was darting up and down the trail as well as following some game trails! As we hiked, I began to think about what I still had to do in the afternoon. When we got to the trail junction, I decided to turn right on the Logger’s Loop and forego the longer loop around Hodge Pond as this better fit my schedule. The walk along the Logger’s Loop seemed long but we were soon at Times Square. I decided we would walk around the back of Frick Pond and over the wooden bridges. It didn’t take us log before we were back at the Quick Lake Trail where we turned left and retraced our route back to the car. It we arrived back at the parking area a little after 1:00 PM. It had taken about a hour and 40 minutes to hike the 3.8 mile route.

The week of January 19th has brought some interesting weather to Livingston Manor. Monday the temperature was relatively mild and hung just above freezing for most of the day. A few flakes fell in the afternoon and evening but there was no real accumulation. The temperature dropped into the tens on Tuesday and did not get above 20 degrees all day. Wednesday morning it was about 6 below zero with a wind chill of 20 below! Most schools in the county delayed opening although the forecast does not call for temperatures to reach into the double digits today. The temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing for the next 10 days! No major snowstorms are forecast although some flurries are possible. Remember, the weather forecast is only a prediction and always contains percentages. Be prepared and have a plan for the most likely and least likely forecast! Now is the time to put your favorite “ice grippers” in the pack and keep them there! Are you prepared to stay out overnight on a trail? Conditions in the morning can change drastically by afternoon. Conditions at the trailhead do not always reflect the conditions on the peaks! Variable trail and weather conditions are a hallmark of these mountains. BE CAREFUL AND BE PREPARED!

On Monday, January 20th I decided to head south and east to Storm King Mountain. I had not listed this area for about a year and wanted to get back to some of the spectacular views from the area. I had avoided this area during the summer since the tick population is so high. Also, my summer was consumed by section hiking the Finger lakes Trail. On Saturday I had been at West Point for a track meet and the ice on the Hudson River was so interesting it motivated me to even more to take this hike. I was surprised that the Storm King Highway was still open but I decided this was the route I wanted to take. My plan was to park at the Stillman Spring parking area and hike a clockwise double loop over North Point and then Storm King. Unfortunately, the sunny day forecast for Monday turned out to be more of an overcast for the entire day! I tried to get started early but time seemed to slip away. The drive seemed to go quickly and we arrived at the parking area at 9:40 AM to find no other cars parked in the lot. Continue reading →

On Friday, January 17th our almost three year old grandson, Bryce, was at the house. He wanted to go for a hike with his snowshoes. There wasn’t enough snow for the snowshoes but we decided to head out to Frick Pond to see how far we could go. The temperature was right around freezing so he bundle him up and headed out with Sheila in the backseat to keep him company. When we arrive at just before 11;00 AM there were no other cars in the lot. We started out on the Quick Lake Trail toward Frick Pond almost immediately. Sheila was happy to be out and was running back and forth on the trail. I had packed our spikes but we decided to delay putting them on until we could assess the trail conditions. Bryce had insisted on having a pole so I shortened one and gave it to him. Continue reading →

On Monday, January 13th I wanted to get in a hike close to home and decided to visit Trout Pond. The area around Trout and Mud Ponds is a favorite of mine but I had not been there in some time. I didn’t know what to expect as far as trail conditions and the volume of water at the falls since it rained for most of the weekend and the warm temperatures had melted all the snow in town. Cindy wanted to go and Sheila immediately knew we were going hiking. She tends to stick close to make sure I know she wants to go. By the time we left the house at around 10:40 AM the temperature was in the high 20’s. As we drove up Morton Hill Road just outside of Roscoe the amount of snow on the ground started to increase. There was a lot of snow and ice where I parked along the side of Morton Hill Road near Russell Brook Road at about 11;00 AM. It appeared that Russell Brook Road was covered in ice. Before we started our hike. Cindy decided to put on her spikes while I decided to wait until I saw what the road looked like. As we started down Russell Brook Road the wisdom of Cindy’s decision became obvious and I stopped almost immediately to don my spikes. The road was a sheet of ice and it was obvious no one had traveled on it in some time. Before we reached the viewpoint over the upper falls, we could hear the crashing of the water. Continue reading →

It’s Thursday, January 9th, and it is much warmer today. The temperature is 12 degrees and there is little or no wind! After the warm weather Monday and the rain, the temperature started to drop. We responded to several motor vehicle accidents Monday night. Tuesday most schools delayed opening due to the low temperature and the wind chill. This happened again on Wednesday. The schools were concerned about students walking to school or waiting for the bus in the wind-chill up to 30 below zero! The forecast is for temperatures to warm through the week with some possible snow and ice conditions each night. The weekend temperature is forecast to be in the high 30’s to mid-40’s with some rain on Saturday. What we need to two feet of snow that will stick around for awhile! I have been trying to get to Balsam Lake Mountain and Graham but the roads there have been so icy it has been difficult!

On Thursday, January 8th, I decided I needed to get out and take a short walk since the temperature was finally in the double digits. The minus 20 degree wind-chill that had been present for the last two days were gone and the sun was even out! When Lisa called and asked if I wanted to do a short hike, I readily agreed. She had to meet with a sales rep in the morning. She called me from across the street at about 12:30 PM and I quickly got dressed and Sheila and I walked across the street to meet her. We decided that we might need spikes but that snowshoes, unfortunately, were not necessary. We started up the hill by the cemetery and then turn left into the wood at the top of the hill. I had decided not to bring along my packs, camera or GPS. I just wanted to concentrate on having a good time without the “responsibilities” of mapping or taking pictures. There was little or no snow in thewoods but it was icy in places. Lisa elected to don her spikes while I kept mine in my pocket. We walked and talked as Sheila explored all the animal trails along the way. After ascending the second hill, I checked my watch and decided we should make the turn to complete the loop and head back. I had indoor track practice at 3:00 PM for the first time in over two weeks. We were back at just before 2:00 PM after king around 3 miles. At times my face felt a little cold but otherwise we had a great time.

Today, Monday, January 6th, the temperature at 6:15 AM in Livingston Manor is 48 degrees. It rained a good part of the night and the snow is disappearing! This is after days of temperatures that did not rise above the teens with windchills even lower. By tonight the temperature is supposed to be dropping through the 20’s to single digits tomorrow. I just want a lot of snow and I want it to stay around.

On Saturday, January 4th, I decided to finally get out on my first hike of 2014! The weather had been challenging to say the least with snow covered roads and windchills well below Saturday Saturday morning the temperature was still around zero so I decided to wait until a little later in the day to start a hike. I was concerned that Sheila might not be able to handle the extremely cold weather. We left Livingston Manor and headed out the Debruce Road a little before 1:00 PM. I was surprised that the roads were cleared all the way to the end of Beech Mountain Road and that the parking areas were plowed. I was equally surprised to find another car in the lot! From the tracks, it seemed like a group of three or four people had started up the the Flynn Trail on snowshoes. I decided to follow them so Sheila and I crossed the road at 1:05 PM and started up the Flynn Trail. The temperature had risen all the way up to 18 degrees which seemed almost warm. Continue reading →